Attorney Stephenie Sutliff Jocham, a founder of Carmel firm Jocham Harden Dimick Jackson, died June 2 following a battle with cancer.

Jocham practiced in the areas of family law and civil litigation and was a registered domestic and civil mediator. She chose family law because of her personal experience with divorce while having a young child. She was a paralegal when she decided to return to law school at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis because she felt compelled to pursue a more compassionate process for divorce and family law. She helped establish the Central Indiana Association of Collaborative Professionals, a nonprofit organization to promote the practice of collaborative law in Indiana.
 

Jocham

Before creating JHDJ in 2008, Jocham practiced at the former firm of Hollingsworth Jocham & Zivitz.

The Terre Haute native was active with the Indiana State, Indianapolis, and Hamilton County bar associations and regularly served as a mediation training coach at IU School of Law – Indianapolis since 2005. She frequently spoke at events and education seminars regarding divorce and family law.

Jocham was a 2011 recipient of Indiana Lawyer’s Distinguished Barrister award. She was named a fellow to the Indiana Bar Foundation in 2008 and the Indianapolis Bar Foundation in 2010.

She also volunteered as a court-appointed special advocate, literacy tutor, and created two nonprofit organizations – Education Initiatives International for local orphanages, and Christ Is My Big C, designed to help cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Jocham was diagnosed in 2010 with sarcoma in her leg after traveling to Nicaragua in 2009 to volunteer at orphanages. The cancer later spread to her lungs and brain. The firm described her as an innovative attorney who championed the development of litigation attorneys for family law cases. The firm said it remains committed to fulfilling Jocham’s mission by serving its clients with the highest standard of professionalism and compassion.

Jocham is survived by her parents, Stephen and Melba Sutliff; sons John Brycen Veach and Kye Christian Jocham; stepmother Terri Sutliff; siblings Greg (Candice) Sutliff and Angela (Robert) Daniel; stepsiblings Lindsay (Aaron) Eskew and Cullen (Shannon) Goodman; as well as nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.•